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TRACE ATTACHMENT.

No. 382,002 Patented May 1, 1888 v ymk/imzdwol@ andD a link of the butt-chain.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIE J. HOWARD, OF MARIPOSA, CALIFORNIA.

TRACE ATTACH M ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 382,002, dated May 1, 1888.

Application filed September 26, 1887. Serial No. 250,771. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, WILLIE J. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing-at Mariposa, in the county of Mariposa and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace-Hooks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in trace-hooks; and it consists in a flat iron plate of peculiar shape, riveted to the trace and provided with a peculiar overlapping steel spring-guard, as will be more fully shown.

The object of my invention is to prevent the other parts of the harness from getting into the hook and becoming entangled, and also from becoming easily detached from the links of the butt-chain connecting it with the whiffiet-ree-hook.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view showing the hook in engagement with a link of the butt-chain, and showing also a portion of the trace broken away so as to expose the screw which secures the steel spring to the plate. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same.

Let 0 represent the tug or trace of a harness, The tug is riveted in two parts to a metal plate, A, of a fiat wedge shape, rounding at its head and pointing at its end, so as to be easily inserted between the two parts of the tug. Two rivetholes, 0, at the upper'part and one at the lower part are used to attach the tug to the plate A.

The plate A contains the usual slot for the reception of thelink D of the buttchain. The outlet of this slotis protected by a flat steel spring,B,secured to theplate A by aset-screw, a, which permits of the spring being easily detached, if desired, for repairs or renewal.

The spring B renders it impossible for the link D to become detached from the plate A, unless desired.

My invention is of great utility in the State of California, where teams of fifteen or twenty horses are used upon combined harvesting-machines, the practice being to connect the same to the machine by the use of butt-chains and traces, as I have described.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the trace, the hooked plate A, made tapering at its rear end where it is fastened in the trace, and the flat laterally, moving spring B, which closes the mouth of the hook, substantially as shown.

2. The combination of the trace and the fiat hooked plate A, which is secured thereto, with a spring which is secured to the side of the plate, and which has a lateral movement, so as to close the mouth of the hook, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIE J. HOWARD.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA B. WEBSTER, HENRY I. WARD. 

